Spirit of Christmas - Part 9/9
by Melissa Rivers
Summary: It's nearly Christmas in the ER and a few surprises abound


SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS  
by Missy  
(missy@lexicon.net)  
  
DISCLAIMER: The characters of ER are the property of Michael  
Crichton, Warner Bros. Constant Productions and Amblin Television  
and the actors who so marvellously portray them.  
  
Any comments and/or constructive criticism will be gratefully  
received at the above e-mail address.  
  
PART 9/9  
  
- 0 0 0 -  
  
His leather soled shoes made little noise against the floor of Trauma  
One as David moved the stool beside Kerry.  
  
Chuny continued to quietly monitor Kerry's condition, checking  
blood pressure and IV lines. With the amount of morphine she had  
been administered, one of the possible side effects was a drop in  
blood pressure. Taking into account the blood loss she was still  
sustaining until the artery was repaired, a close eye on all vitals.  
  
Running his finger lightly over the back of Kerry's hand, absorbing  
their smallness and fineness that tended to be ignored when she was  
conscious. David struggled to comprehend the emotions flooding his  
being.  
  
It was a long time since he had felt the anger, fear and care for another  
woman of the type and intensity he was experiencing. The sight of  
Kerry, so still, silent and pale, her auburn hair a bright beacon  
accentuating the heavy blue smudges beneath her eyes and pallor of  
her skin.  
  
Watching the gentleness with which Dr. Morganstern was touching  
Dr. Weaver, Chuny realised she was witness to an intensely private  
moment. Noting the current unit of blood finishing, she set about  
changing it without disturbing Dr. Morganstern, sensitive to the effect  
Dr. Weaver's condition was having on him.  
  
Thinking back, David wasn't sure when his feelings for Kerry had  
changed but he now that at some time they had. He was well aware  
that the staff at the hospital were ignorant of the warm and sensitive  
person Kerry was with a notoriously black humour only seeing the  
brusque and officious attending she allowed them to see. She had  
learned from the best how to cover your emotions, protecting herself  
and not allowing them to interfere with her professional life, to the  
detriment of her relationship with her colleagues. Occasionally,  
she had let her armour drop and the staff were shocked at the  
difference but it never lasted for long.  
  
At the sign of her stirring, David rubbed away the tears welling up in  
his eyes. Squeezing her hand lightly, he let her know that he was  
there for her. 'As a friend' he thought. That was what they had  
decided a couple of years earlier when they had first gone out together  
on a date. It had been a mutual decision. Now he wasn't sure if it had  
been right.   
  
Kerry opened her eyes to halfway, the drugs making her drowsy. She  
ran her tongue over her dry lips. "David?" She asked quietly,  
acknowledging his presence with surprise.  
  
"Hi Kerry. Next time you need a break, there are easier ways than  
getting shot." David gave her a half smile, the truth hitting very close  
to the mark. It would take something like this for her to give into the  
pain, mainly because she had no choice.  
  
She didn't even smile at the comment, her mind clouded and she  
sought to coherently collect her thoughts through the fog.  
  
"What.....are .....you.....doing....here?" The words wee slowly put  
together.  
  
"I heard about the shooting and I came to offer my help."  
  
"You're not doing much of that sitting beside me." It was  
disconcerting her at the way he kept looking at her so intently. It was  
too much for her addled brain to handle.  
  
"True. But it does free up some of the nursing staff." he replied  
practically.  
  
"I'll be alright. Why don't you go and help?"   
  
"Because I've been assigned to you. No more arguments, Kerry.   
Just rest. They'll be taking you up for surgery within the hour." This  
may be wishful thinking on his part because they were beginning to  
backlog with the GSWs to operating theatre ratios.  
  
"Well, if you're going to stay, you may as well make yourself useful."   
Kerry acknowledged grudgingly.  
  
- 0 0 0 -  
  
Jeanie immediately thought the worst. With all the things that had  
gone wrong that evening, she jumped to the conclusion that the child  
has gotten caught up in the fiasco after the shooting, possibly having  
been shot herself. In the trauma and upheaval her small mind had  
been through, there just were so many possibilities of what *had*  
happened.  
  
Being a father, Mark had been placed in this predicament before,  
although under entirely different circumstances. However, the basic  
application was the same. He remembered the firm instructions from  
his search for Rachel. Do a thorough and logical search for the child,  
keeping your head at all times.  
  
'Nice theory' Mark thought whimsically. He was sure that the person  
who came up with the idea was not a parent of a missing child.   
Especially, not a child who had possibly been witness to a dramatic  
and violent shooting scene.  
  
"Right. We have one missing five year old. We will have to do a  
thorough search of the ER. But it looks like it will just be us."  
  
"Us? The entire ER?" Jeanie knew how long this would probably  
take and, if they didn't find her, they would have to extend the search  
to the entire hospital.  
  
"Let's start at this end and work our way down. Check any cupboard  
or area big enough for a child to hide in."  
  
If Jess had been scared, Mark didn't know how she'd react. Kerry  
probably would but the last thing she needed was to know they had  
misplaced her niece.  
  
- 0 0 0 -  
  
"Dr. Greene. What is going on?" Randi asked as she watched him  
systematically going in and out of rooms, each time he left the lines  
of worry on his brow deepening. There had finally been a lull in the  
calls from worried relatives, media and crank calls. It had been  
bedlam during the first half hour of the newsflash of the shooting.  
  
"Randi." Mark acknowledged as he passed deep in thought, before  
turning on his heel to face here. "Have you seen Dr. Weaver's niece?  
"   
  
Randi looked at him blankly for a moment as a phone began ringing.   
  
  
"The little girl who was left earlier this morning." Mark continued.  
  
"Umm.. Yeah...She's in Trauma One." Randi said absently as  
another phone began ringing and she had to start juggling calls once  
again  
  
"Let Jeanie know I've found her."  
  
Mark shook his head in admonishment, not believing that he hadn't  
thought to ask Randi if she had seen the girl earlier. It would've  
saved both Jeanie and himself a lot of time and, more importantly,  
worry.  
  
- 0 0 0 -  
  
Pushing open the door to Trauma One, he was surprised to find David  
Morganstern sitting beside Kerry with Jess sitting comfortably on his  
lap, her eyes drooping with tiredness which she was fighting vainly.  
  
"Dr. Morganstern?"  
  
"Mark. Glad to see you are okay."  
  
"Yes. I'm fine. We've suffered four GSWs to our own staff and five  
to patients. How's Kerry?"  
  
"Sleeping."   
  
"The rest'll do her good."  
  
"It's a pity she couldn't have gotten it another way."   
  
Mark noted the caring concern in David's voice and looked more  
closely at him. When Kerry had first started, he thought there was a  
relationship developing between them, however it had appeared that  
they were just friends. Now he wasn't too sure. Kerry kept her  
personal life separate from her professional life.  
  
Benton and Carter came through the door. "They're ready for her in  
the OR."  
  
- 0 0 0 -   
  
Carol sat beside Doug's bed in the four bed ward, his hand held  
firmly between her clasped hands, her elbows resting on the side of  
the bed. An occasional tear spilled, gently rolling down her face,  
following the course others had already travelled. The fear and shock  
of seeing Doug on the floor after being shot kept returning as her  
mind constantly replayed the retort from the gun as it cut him down  
in mid-step.  
  
A gentle squeeze on her hand brought her back to the present. She  
looked across at Doug and he gave a gentle smile "Hey."  
  
"How are you feeling?" she asked.  
  
"Other than like I've just run the Boston Marathon, I'm okay."  
  
Carol smiled. It was just the response she needed to hear. "Do you  
want anymore paid medication?"  
  
"Anymore and I'll be floating."  
  
They were both silent, rejoicing in the fact that they were both alive.   
Doug gently brushed away Carol's tears.  
  
"I want to go ahead with our plans for Christmas Eve." Doug  
informed her quietly.  
  
"Doug, you've been shot."  
  
"I'm well aware of that." He grimaced as he moved his body. "Carol,  
I love you very much and I've put off making a commitment to you,  
not wanting to repeat my father's mistakes."  
  
Carol went to interrupt him, to let him know that he was not the only  
one who had put off their marriage. A finger on her lips silenced her  
words.  
  
"No. Hear me out. Today reminded me that there is one thing I really  
want. I love you. I want to marry you. As soon as possible. We can  
have the ceremony here."  
  
Here?"  
  
"Why not? Granted, it's not exactly our ideal of the perfect setting  
for taking our vows but you've got to admit, it's appropriate."  
  
Carol laughed.   
  
"It's good to hear you laugh. I wasn't sure that I was going to hear it  
again." Doug whispered as he gently brushed her hair behind her ear.  
  
Carol leaned forward and kissed him. "Okay, if you're sure you are  
up to it."  
  
"This is going to be the most important day of my life and I'm going  
to be doing it from my bed. I'm sure all the guys will be envious." he  
said with a devilish grin. "Get Mark and your Mom to redirect the  
priest and all the guests to here tomorrow night."  
  
"All of them?"  
  
"Why not? The more the merrier." Doug sobered as he remembered  
that there were other victims shot in the ER, some of whom were  
possibly invited to their wedding. "Who else got shot?"  
  
"Jerry. He's in ICU. The bullet hit his heart. Weaver had to crack  
him."  
  
"How is he doing?"  
  
"He's holding his own."  
  
"Who else?" Doug knew with the amount of gun shots, there were  
sure to be more victims.  
  
"Lydia was hit in the shoulder. It's damaged the pectoralis major  
muscle. She's had surgery to repair the damage but she will require  
a lot of physio after it heals to regain full use. Weaver was also hit  
in the lateral femur artery. She's still in theatre."  
  
"But you said she operated on Jerry."  
  
"Yeah. She did. She collapsed afterward from the blood loss. There  
were five other GSW's, two MI's, one which we lost, and superficial  
lacs from flying glass to staff and patients."  
  
"What a day." Doug murmured.  
  
"Hey. He's awake." Mark commented as he entered Doug's room.  
  
"Hi Mark."  
  
"How you feeling?"  
  
"Great. Everyone should get shot once in a while." he commented  
with a grin.  
  
"You were meant to duck."  
  
"Hmm." Doug conceded. "How's the new Chief coping with losing  
two attendings in one day?"  
  
"Plus a clerk and an ER nurse. If he survives this without an MI, it  
will be a miracle." Mark said with a smile. "Actually, if I survive it  
will be a miracle as well."  
  
"Mark, the party for tomorrow....." Doug started  
  
"I'll take care of the cancellations for you." Mark quickly injected.  
  
"No, Mark. Umm, I don't know how to say this but the party was  
actually going to be our wedding. We decided that we didn't want all  
the fuss but we wanted all our friends there, so we came up with the  
Christmas party. We still want it to be."  
  
"Mark, what Doug is trying to say is we still want to get married but  
it will have to be here."  
  
Mark was taken back by their disclosure but looking at the two of  
them, he knew that the most important thing for them was each other  
and the location of their marriage was not important but rather the  
making of the vows to bind themselves to each other in the presence  
of their friends.  
  
"Have you got a guest list?"  
  
With that, they all sat down to sort out the arrangements.  
  
  
END PART 9/9  
  
  
That's all folks...........  
  
Hope you enjoyed the ride and were happy with the end result. :)  
  
Missy  
(missy@ipax.com.au)  
  
  
  



End file.
